MUCH better

bailey took the picture.
sorry for the uncenteredness (just made that up!)
she's GOOD!
i was DYING laughing at her :-)
i forget what she said/did...

i only get my hair cut like twice a year...so when i do i get a lot cut off!
it feels SO much better!

this past tuesday

was world AIDS day.
i want to ignore it {does that sound awful??}
but i can't.
my children in Rwanda will most likely have been deeply effected by AIDS.
i can't look away.

it's been on my mind quite a bit this week.

when you're the baby

we always tease my little sister about this.
but it's true.

when you're the baby, rules just don't apply the same as they did for the oldest.

example:

it was like a playpen! he stayed up there the whole time i cleaned the kitchen AND folded a load of laundry! sorry...that's just worth it to me.

and the kids got a candy cane after dinner.
they had to hide in the closet to eat them or else sawyer would whine at them the WHOLE time for licks.
i don't think they minded too much.

bailey

this will NEVER get old.

i am in the barber shop with all 4 kids this afternoon.
i got my hair cut {a LOT! like 3-4 inches!}
rebekah was getting her hair cut.

one of the other stylists looks at me and says, "so, you have 4 kids?"
{maybe her nice way of saying they are all OVER the place!}
i smile that smile and say, "yes!"

bailey is on the floor under this particular stylist.
on the floor covered with hair.
she looks up at her and says very matter-of-factly:
"we are getting 2 more boys. from africa. they will have black, curly hair."

and then goes back to sweeping up the floor with her pants or whatever she was doing.

the entire barber shop is now silent and staring at me.
the stylist looks at me like, "she is CRAZY, right?!?"
but sees me smiling.

it started a very interesting and fun conversation.

i love bailey.

rebekah

as she's holding up a used kleenex for evidence...

"mom. sometimes my boogers look like they are toasted."

sometimes the devil gets in my sewing machine

other possible titles for this post:
*crazy lunatic mom
*if one more thing happens...

this is total venting.
just a warning.
and way more details than you probably care to know about my morning.
i just need to get it out.

the day started pretty normal.
i spent the whole evening last night cutting and pinning a pile of shirts.
they were ALL SET to be sewn today.
i planned on spending every spare minute i got down there sewing away.

so, we head downstairs after breakfast/school/shower so they can play and i can sew.
a few minutes into it my machine won't work properly.
i spend the next 2 hours trying to fix it.
i am not a patient person.
this required SO MUCH patience.
i did everything i could think of - cleaned out all kinds of parts, changed the needle...
but i held it together.
even smiled and kindly answered my kids' questions and requests ("mom, can you come wipe me?")

at 10 am i gave up.
i didn't know what else to do.
i looked up a service place for sewing machines.
the closest one i could find is 15 minutes away.
i called them.
she said if it has to be sent OUT to be repaired it'll take a week. but she could try to look at it real quick to see if it's something simple.
{PLEASE let it be something simple!!!}
bailey has ballet from 10:30-11:15 am.
i quickly planned to drop her off, take the sewing machine and PRAY the lady can fix it and get back in time to pick bailey up then let joshua eat his lunch in the car on the way to get him to the busstop at 11:30 am.
:-)
FREAKING!!!!

oh.
did i mention i have an extra 4 year old this morning, too?
yea.
i did.

so, i drop bailey off.
i ALWAYS stay and we just play while she does ballet.
so she wasn't happy.
but i had no choice.
i NEED this sewing machine to work!!!

we head to the service shop and my phone rings.
"just wanted to remind you it's parent observation day at ballet."
my friend kindly tells me :-)
1 day each semester you get to sit in their class.
normally they are behind a closed door.
right.
i'm already halfway to the service shop.
now i feel like the WORST mom ever.
but just keep going with my plan.

get to the shop and the lady isn't there.
she just ran to the bank.
SO close to tears at this point.
but i have 3 little kids staring at me.
{and 1 that's not mine and is wondering how she got into this!}

the lady finally comes.
looks at the machine for 2 minutes.
and somehow it isn't threaded through one of the top parts of the machine!!!!
could i have felt any stupider??
seriously?!?
i messed with all KINDS of stuff inside the machine and NEVER thought to look at the top part!
so.
i feel stupid.
but i'm very grateful it's fixed and we're on our way.

got to see the last 10 minutes of bailey's class
{i drove kinda fast.}
people...DADS were there from work!
{i didn't have my camera..not even the one that's ALWAYS in my purse! it was at home! ugh!}
seriously!

rush home to get joshua on the bus.
he falls in mud 2 seconds before the bus comes.
oh well.

head into the house.
we're locked out.
and Grace {the extra kid} has to pee.
we have a spare key hidden.
but it was just one.more.thing.

make it inside.
make lunch.
Grace leaves.
Bailey and Sawyer down for naps.

and i had a good cry.
man, that felt good.
i haven't cried like that in a LONG time.

i'm good now.
i still haven't gotten any shirts sewn.
but it will get done.
i have to trust that.
and i'm thankful that He got me through this morning.
i think maybe He's growing me.

and, also, i think sometimes the devil gets in my sewing machine.

whatever your something is

"You don't have to go out and bring a child into your home -- that's not what's required," says Tuohy. "But you can do something -- everybody is capable of doing something. So whatever your something is, do it well. Make a difference."

Leigh Anne Tuohy (the real life mom of Michael Oher from the movie The Blind Side)